The shoe construction of this invention is related to the incorporation of certain materials in layers at the forepart and back part of an insole to substantially improve the cushioning and therefore the comfort of a shoe.
Improving the comfort characteristics of a shoe is a constant and continuing objective of shoe designers and shoe manufacturers. Among efforts to improve comfort include the incorporation of cushioning in many forms. Some shoes that have cushioning are suitable for informal wear and it is acceptable that the cushioning be visible such as when provided in the construction of the outsole of the shoe. However, if the shoe is intended for dress or formal wear, visible cushioning is not acceptable and it is important that a dress shoe construction be susceptible to any desired design and appearance.
Other efforts to improve comfort have included the incorporation of cushioning in localized areas such as in a central area of the forepart of a shoe. However, such localized cushioning is inadequate to cushion all pressure areas of the front of a wearer's foot.
Still other efforts to improve comfort involve inserts that can be purchased separate from and inserted into a shoe. These inserts are not entirely satisfactory in that they alter the internal size of the shoe by adding height to the inner floor, they shift positions during wearing, they do not accurately fit the shoe, they are difficult to manipulate inside a shoe, they fall out of a shoe, and they do not provide optimum cushioning in the proper areas of the shoe.
The present invention creates cushioning that is built into the shoe and that avoids the disadvantages of the prior efforts.